Sigismondo Savona (12 March 1835 – 24 July 1908) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

educator and politician who played a prominent role in the Language Question which defined the politics of the

Crown Colony of Malta The Crown Colony of the Island of Malta and its Dependencies (commonly known as the Crown Colony of Malta or simply Malta) was the British colony in the Maltese islands, today the modern Republic of Malta. It was established when the Malta Pr ...

in the late 19th century.

Early life

Savona was born in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 was ...

on 12 March 1835. He studied at the Normal School of the Royal Military Asylum in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament const ...

. On 21 July 1852, at the age of 17, he joined the

Royal Malta Fencible Regiment The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment was an infantry battalion of the British Army which existed from 1815 to 1861 in Malta, then a British colony. The regiment was recruited and organised by Francesco Rivarola in 1815; Rivarola had proved himself ...

and rose to the rank of Hospital Sergeant. He was also the regiment's Schoolmaster, and he remained in the military until 22 June 1865.

Political career

Savona's political career began when he was elected to Malta's Council of Government in the 1875 election. He favoured the reforms proposed in

the Rowsell-Julyan-Keenan Commission The Rowsell-Julyan-Keenan Commission was a Royal Commission in 1878. It was based on a report by Patrick Keenan, Penrose Julyan and Francis William Rowsell, the latter was made British commissioner of ceded Daira lands, Egypt, that year, and had b ...

including the abolition of the tax on grain and the promotion of the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to t ...

in Malta. He was appointed Director of Education in 1880, and he held the post for seven years until he resigned after a committee was set up to inquire into the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

. Savona joined and subsequently led the Reform Party and he recommended publishing the party's newspaper ''Public Opinion''. He was elected in the 1889 election, and in 1891 he formed a new political party known as the Partito Unionista together with

Evaristo Castaldi Evaristo is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: * Evaristo Avalos (born 1933), Mexican equestrian * Evaristo Barrera (1911–1982), Argentine football striker * Evaristo Baschenis (1617–1677), Itali ...

. This was short-lived and Savona re-established the Reform Party in 1893, but in 1895 he formed yet another party, the Partito Popolare, together with Mgr. Ignazio Panzavecchia, A. Dalli and Dr. A. Pullicino. Savona retired from politics in 1898.

Personal life

Savona died on 24 July 1908. He had a son named

William William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

, who also became a politician and who founded the Labour Party.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savona, Sigismondo 1835 births 1908 deaths Leaders of political parties in Malta Maltese educators Maltese military personnel People from Valletta Political party founders 19th-century Maltese politicians